Riot Grasper Vol 1 Chapter 2

1st Volume, 2nd Chapter 【The Beginner’s Town, Merville】

「Excuse me――where is this place?」

It was supposed to be my first conversation in this otherworld. Yet it is so pathetic.

「Where?……It can be considered Merville town, I guess.」

My reaction is just what you would expect from someone who’s hearing a name for the first time――

「……I see.」
「By the way, this area, where a certain someone was lying unconscious, is outside the town wall. Also, I don’t have time to dawdle around. If you can move your body, get inside the town.」

Body……When he mentions ‘body’, I take a look at my own body.

Although I can’t see my face, I’m sure that it doesn’t look like minced meat. Also, from the way this old-man is talking to me, I can a.s.sume that I’m a human.
When I touch all over my body, I immediately realize that there’s no change in my body from how it was in my previous life.

Rather than reincarnation, it feels more like revival.

My clothes, however, are totally different. There’s a jute jacket? Underneath is a shirt. Trousers are made of something stiff, like cotton? Pelted boots complete the rustic look.
Where are my comfortable shoes which I had on at the time of the accident? Also, other luggage, which I had at that time, doesn’t seem to be with me.

「You……Are you really alright?」

Rather, it’s a big relief that I can understand and speak their language.
So that staff member actually did something useful, huh?

Considering the fact that this old-man looks worried after seeing me acting strangely, he doesn’t seem to be as strict as he appears.

「Ah, I’m sorry. I’m kinda confused. Umm, what was it called, again? Merville town?」

When I look around to inspect my surroundings, I immediately notice an extraordinary stone wall.
As for its height, I’m around 175cm tall……and it’s about twice my height? It’s quite prominent. So this is the town wall of Merville, huh?

A town wall is erected in order to defend from the enemies outside.
There must exist fantasy creatures outside, I guess.

Or should I rather say demon race, perhaps?

「Like I feared……monsters……exist.」
「True. However, the town wall of Merville is quite st.u.r.dy. You’ll be p.r.o.ne to attack if you step outside, though. Were you perhaps……not aware of it? Did you encounter any monster along the way? You don’t seem to have any luggage with you.」

Does he perhaps think that I was attacked by a monster and I managed to escape with just my body intact?
Because I have no other choice, I’ll just keep on nodding.

「Such a terrible place. I have lost everything I had.」
「Is that so?……That really is terrible. N? You haven’t lost your ID, have you? If you want to enter the town, it will be required.」
「……」

Oh, G.o.d. If I’ll have to spend my first night camping outside, I quit.

「What do I do now?」
「What can you do now?……That’s right――Hey, do you know about the Adventurer’s Guild?」
「Just the name.」

It’s mandatory in case of another world. However, because I was preparing for entrance test, I didn’t read many manga or novels. Not even during the breaks.

「If you get registered with the guild, the guild guarantees you a position in the society. The guild issues a guild card. It acts as a subst.i.tute for ID. However, if you tarnish the guild’s image with your actions, it will lead to terrible consequences. Well then, if you want to enter the town, I can take you to the guild.」
「Money……Won’t I need money?」
「They can issue you a loan. Since it’s an emergency, there won’t be any problem, hopefully.」
「T-Thank you very much.」
「And this is where I work. I’m Nicholas・Hoffman. I’m a sentinel of this town.」
「I’m Agatsuma・Seiji.」

I extend my hand out to shake with his. The skin of his hand felt rugged.
So his skill, Sword Arts Lv2, isn’t for show, huh?
……What was it called, again? Intermediate?

「Agatsuma……huh? Quite an unusual name.」
「Ah, no, my name is Seiji.」

I see. So the given name comes first, huh?

「Hoffman-san, are you good with sword?」
「N? Just call me Nicholas. A kid need not be worried about honorifics.」

Kid, huh?
Well, a mere high school student is a kid, surely; but to suddenly call an elder by their first name without any honorifics is, somewhat, repugnant.

「Sword, huh? I have been training my sword for fairly long. Unlike adventurers, the opportunities to fight against different monsters here are not that many. Therefore, experiencing a real battle is rare.」

While saying so, Nicholas-san draws his sword from its sheath with burning eyes and slashes at the sky.
Quite a performance it was. The way he put the sword back to its sheath with a brisk sound looked cool to an ordinary person like me.

「If a monster dares attack this town, I’ll cut it down with this sword of mine.」
「Indeed.」

Invocation condition ① is already clear, isn’t it?
It can be invoked if I touch.

However, I hold my hand, which was about to touch Nicholas-san, back.
There’s no need to be impatient, really.
I honestly want to test it as soon as possible. However, I would not like to plunder someone who helped me. Without Sword Arts skill, Nicholas-san will become weak. If he were to be killed by a monster consequently, I would not be able to sleep in peace.

What the f.u.c.k? This skill is unexpectedly difficult to use.
W-Well, it has only just begun.
First, let’s think it over.

・Even if I try to steal a skill, will I be successful?
・Even if I successfully steal the skill, will I be able to use it?
・How many times can I use the skill per day if it’s Lv1?
・How do I raise the level of the skill?

Four questions too many.

That said, there’s no other choice but to try it out eventually. But first, I have to get registered with the guild and secure accommodation for today. I have to do something about money, too. It’s disturbing that I don’t have any.

Fortunately, the sun is still up. There are still a few hours left.
I may be able to earn some without getting myself into danger.

The South Gate of the town was the closest to the location where I was. After having walked with Nicholas-san for about ten minutes, I can now see the gate.
After walking along the town wall for quite a while, I realized that this town is actually huge.
For the town wall can be traced to be round, is the structure of the town circular?

Because I was with Nicholas-san, I almost pa.s.sed through the South Gate.
Nicholas-san calls out to the sentry stationed at the gate and explains my situation, after which, we enter the town.

「Ooh……」

Merville’s townscape comprises mostly of stone-made buildings. Wooden houses can be found here and there. Streets are stone-paved. Private residences have vividly-colored, triangular roofs. It looks like a fusion of medieval and contemporary Europe.

The reason as to why I said contemporary Europe is that earthquakes are scarce in Europe, so the old constructions still exist there.

Before you start arguing, I must tell you that I only know all this from the pictures on the internet. You can’t expect a high school student to have actually toured Europe.

From the first glance, the town looks clean.
……There’s no horses.h.i.t on the streets!

Now then, I must pull myself together and go to the guild.
Merville town is divided into different districts; including Commercial District, Residential District and Industrial District. The Adventurer’s Guild is located in the Commercial District which is situated in the southern part of the town.
For this reason, We, who entered the town from the South Gate, reached the guild before long.

There’s an orthodox signboard, featuring a shield and crossed swords――This must be the signboard of the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s a splendid, two-storied, stone-made building.
Nicholas-san will probably go back after my registration is done and I receive my guild card.
He may look rough and scary but honestly, I’m glad that he’s with me.

When I open the door, what I find in front is a munic.i.p.al office which looks similar to the one I saw in the realm of afterlife. Nope, this one seems to be inferior in quality compared to that one. On the counter, the silhouette of a receptionist lady, or a man, can be seen dealing with the visitors. On the bulletin board, many quests can be found stuck. This place is br.i.m.m.i.n.g with liveliness.
It might have looked wild at first――but it’s actually not.

Well, it’s still a bit frightening but it can’t be helped. I approach the receptionist lady on the counter.

「Umm, I would like to register with the Adventurer’s Guild.」
「Very well. Is this your first time in the guild?」
「Yes.」

The receptionist lady takes a seat to conduct my interview. Nicholas-san is behind me, observing the state of my affairs.

「Well then, please fill your name, age and race in this form.」

When I was about fill in the blanks, my pen stops.
Which letters do I write in?

The moment I thought that, the content I was trying to write floats up inside my head in the letters of this world.

Huh? This is convenient.

After filling in the required information, I return the form to the receptionist lady.

「Okay, good enough. Well then, the registration fee is 1,000 Dalas.」
「I……I don’t have any money. I heard that I could borrow some from the guild.」
「Yes, you can. If you repay it within one month, no interest shall be charged. Well then, what would you like to do?」

A high school student in debt……The more the time pa.s.ses, the more it feels like another world.

「Okay.」
「Well then, the procedure… huh?」
「Is something wrong?」
「Your age is 18 years……Excuse my rudeness, are you sure there’s no mistake?」
「Eh? Yes, there’s no mistake.」

When I heard a surprised voice leak out from behind me, I turn around to find wide-eyed Nicholas-san. The receptionist lady was astonished just as well.

「Pardon my rudeness. Are you not younger?」
「I thought that you were 14-15 years old.」

The facial features of Nicholas-san and the receptionist lady are indeed strong. Although not completely, they resemble westerners. On the contrary, compared to westerners, orientals look younger than their age.

……Indirectly, they’re telling me that I have a baby-face, huh?

「I’m 18 years old.」

「Pardon my rudeness, again. Well then, let me brief to you about the Adventurer’s Guild next.」
「Okay.」
「At the Adventurer’s Guild, we receive numerous quests on a daily basis. I will have you note that the guild acts as an intermediary between a client and an adventurer. For this reason, the guild deducts a fee from the reward at the completion of a quest. In return, the guild bears full responsibility for the quest. In case the client objects the deficiency in the completion of the quest, unless the adventurer recognizes their fault, the guild provides full protection――You can receive security against loss.」

Well, agency model is pretty common but there’s protection, too, huh?

「In case the adventurer is at fault, the reward amount shall be compensated by the adventurer as a penalty. Therefore, please be careful in that regard.」

The entire reward amount shall be compensated?……Isn’t that harsh?

「Also, a rank is a.s.signed to the adventurer. From S+, S, S- to E+, E, E- in descending order. If your rank is high, you can receive designated quests. Well then, aim to be a trusted adventurer.」

How much can a rank S+ earn? Well, I will first have to earn enough to survive in this world. I can think about making a fortune later.

「Seiji-san will start as a rank E-. As for the quests, you can either choose routine work downtown or you can collect medicinal herbs in the outskirts. During the collection of the medicinal herbs, you may encounter weak monsters. Is Seiji-san able to fight?」
「I……will learn.」
「I understand. Please be careful and try not to encounter any monster.」

Come to think of it, do monsters possess skills, too?
If so, then I can steal the skills from the monsters without any hesitation.
However, unless I plan my first step, I’m not sure if I can kill even the weakest of the monsters.
For the time being, I better not step outside the town.
I should probably receive quests relating to routine work downtown.

「Your rank increases once upon the completion of every ten quests. In case you fail to complete a quest, the protection against the penalty depends on your quest completion rate. In addition, you’ll have to pa.s.s a test in order to raise your rank beyond D. E+ to D-, D+ to C- and so on can, therefore, be considered stages.」

Err… written test?

「Because the monster subjugation quests tend to be available to those beyond rank D, we conduct the test to ascertain that they have the ability to fight against the monsters.」

No surprises there~.

「Well then, we will now issue you the guild card. The cost of the first issuance is included in the registration fee. However, any subsequent issuance shall cost you 500 dalas. Please be informed.」

After saying that, the receptionist lady goes inside and comes back after a while with something, which looks like a silver metal plate, in her hands.
When I press my finger on the back of the card, as I was asked, a mysterious light ‘poo’ comes off it.

「This is Seiji-san’s guild card. Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild.」
「Y-Yes, likewise. Please take care of me.」

I’m happy, somewhat.
I’m in debt now, though.

「Umm, Nicholas-san, here.」
「Ah, your identification. Welcome to Merville town, finally. I hope you earn enough to make a fresh start.」

After saying that, Nicholas-san leaves the guild. Was it alright for him, a sentinel, to leave the gate for this long?

「Umm, I can accept quests from now on, right?」
「Of course. You can have a look at the quests posted on the bulletin board there.」
「Umm, can you please recommend me an inn in this area? Also, how much will the accommodation cost be?」

The receptionist lady smiles gently at the penniless adventurer in front of her.
Now I’ve done it.

「Hmm, let me think. Right, considering the reward of a rank E- quest, the inn I would recommend to you would be 《Feeder Pops’》.」

Well, taking into account the amount of money I have in hand, she’s not gonna recommend me a big name hotel where pretty girls are at your service.
It’s gonna be an inn with a stinking old-man!

I express my grat.i.tude to the receptionist lady and head to the bulletin board.

Hmm, rank E- quests……

『Warehouse Rearrangement: Quest Reward – 200 Dalas』
『Supplementary Personnel for Public Works: Quest Reward – 250 Dalas』

And so on……Nothing but trivial work.
Is there really no helping it?
Well, the battle skill of the current me is zero, after all.

The moment I stretch my hand out to remove a quest paper――jeers and boos resound inside the building.

「Hey, what are kids doing here?! ……A~h, accepting trivial work for a quest, eh?! You’re a disgrace to us adventurers! Off to your home, take a s.h.i.t and go to your bed!」

Err… he’s quite p.i.s.sed off, clearly.
Uttering such words, two men, who resemble the motorbikers from a certain end-of-century comic, head my way.

Well, what else would you say to a novice, with a baby-face no less, who has already been suspected to be 14-15 years old.

「Umm, err… I need to receive a quest to cover accommodation expense.」
「Did you hear that, guys?! A boy who doesn’t even have the b.a.l.l.s to fight a monster has registered to be an adventurer! Does he think so low of us adventurers?」

They carry on. Help, someone?
Apparently, the guild staff doesn’t arbitrate a quarrel between two adventurers. When I look toward the receptionist lady from earlier with pleading eyes, she was troubled to open her mouth.

So an adventurer is supposed to help themselves, huh?
I don’t mean to show off or anything but in my previous life, I happened to dabble in Karate.
But then, why have I not been granted the Body Arts skill?
Do I have no talent? Should I cry?

That aside, I should first check their status. Take it easy. There’s no need to be worried.
There’s indeed a need to be worried.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Name: Bal・Goliath
Race: Human
Age: 32
Job: Adventurer (Rank B+)
Skill(s)
・Axe Arts Lv2 (47/50)
・Physical Abilities Enhancement Lv3 (4/150)
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Name: Zac・Keynes
Race: Human
Age: 28
Job: Adventurer (Rank C+)
Skill(s)
・Spear Arts Lv2 (35/50)
・Body Arts Lv1 (8/10)
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

It was obvious that they were high ranking adventurers but their ranks are too d.a.m.n high! It’s not good to bully a weak.
Well then, what do I do now? I can’t resort to violence in the guild, after all.

How about I give ‘it’ a go, then?

「No, that’s not it. But if I don’t accept this quest……」
「I don’t f.u.c.king care! Don’t you get it?」

Bal slams his fist on a table.
He bent ma.s.sive, cm-thick wood out of shape? Is he a gorilla, hey?

Thereafter, Bal heads my way and shoves me into the wall with his arm.
It hurts. I’m gonna die.

「You listening? If I ever see this face here, I’m going to beat it out of shape! You get that, a.s.shole?! Hey, Zac, let’s go. Kuahahaha――N? What, you wanna do something about it, piece of s.h.i.t?!」

Just like that, with vulgar laughter, the pair leaves the guild.

「――Gehogeho……u……gu」

If it’s someone like them, I won’t have any guilty conscience.

「Are you okay? I’m extremely sorry. The guild has a no-intervention policy in respect of a quarrel between two adventurers. Besides, if they were half as strong as they act, they wouldn’t leave so many quests incomplete……Still, if it escalates any further, the guild will issue them a warning――」

At the receptionist lady’s words, I gesture with my hand for her to stop.

I have got the basic idea.
Even if you touch the target, this skill won’t invoke until and unless you call for it.
Furthermore, you have to touch the target’s skin. If you touch the armor, it won’t work.
Finally, at Lv1, the number of times you can invoke this skill per day is at least two.

How lucky! At first attempt with just 10%.
As for axe-handling, since it wasn’t visually confirmed, it was futile.

「Wa……wawa, I’m fine. Moving on……I want to receive an easy quest since-!」

A shattering sound resounds inside the building.
This time, the st.u.r.dy wooden-table, which I try to rest my hands on, breaks under the force.
Amidst the dancing sawdust, I could feel an incredible power welling up inside my body.

《Physical Abilities Enhancement Lv3》 huh?
Isn’t it overwhelming?
Of course it is!

――Thereafter, the cost of the broken table was added to my debt, it goes without saying. I offer an earnest apology to the receptionist lady.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Name: Seiji・Agatsuma
Race: Human
Age: 18
Job: Adventurer (Rank E-)
Unique: Scholar’s Knowledge
Skill(s)
・Thief’s G.o.dly Skill (Riot Grasper) Lv1 (1/10)
・Physical Abilities Enhancement Lv3 (4/150)
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
I have stolen a skillーーーーーーーーーー!